420. What is the New Law or the Law of the Gospel? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 420 repetition) The New Law or the
Law of the Gospel, proclaimed and fulfilled by Christ, is the fullness and
completion of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is summed up in the
commandment to love God and neighbor and to love one another as Christ loved
us. It is also an interior reality: the grace of the Holy Spirit which makes
possible such love. It is “the law of freedom” (Galatians 1:25) because it
inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity. “The New Law is mainly the same grace of
the Holy Spirit which is given to believers in Christ.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas).
“In brief”
(CCC 1985) The New Law is a law of love, a law of grace, a
law of freedom. (CCC 1984) The Law of the Gospel fulfills and surpasses the Old
Law and brings it to perfection: its promises, through the Beatitudes of the
Kingdom of heaven; its commandments, by reforming the heart, the root of human
acts.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1969) The New Law practices
the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing them to the
"Father who sees in secret," in contrast with the desire to "be
seen by men" (Cf. Mt 6:1-6; 16-18). Its prayer is the Our Father (Cf. Mt
6:9-13; Lk 11:2-4). (CCC 1971) To the Lord's Sermon on the Mount it is fitting
to add the moral catechesis of the
apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15,
1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 4-5, etc. This doctrine hands on the Lord's teaching with
the authority of the apostles, particularly in the presentation of the virtues
that flow from faith in Christ and are animated by charity, the principal gift
of the Holy Spirit. "Let charity be genuine.... Love one another with
brotherly affection.... Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be
constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice
hospitality" (Rom 12:9-13). This catechesis also teaches us to deal with
cases of conscience in the light of our relationship to Christ and to the
Church (Cf. Rom 14; 1 Cor 5-10).
Reflection
(CCC 1970) The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the
decisive choice between "the two ways" and to put into practice the
words of the Lord (Cf. Mt 7:13-14,21-27). It is summed up in the Golden Rule, "Whatever you wish
that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets"
(Mt 7:12; cf. Lk 6:31). The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love
one another as he has loved us (Cf. Jn 15:12; 13:34). (CCC 1972) The New Law is
called a law of love because it makes
us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace, because it confers the
strength of grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments; a law of freedom, because it sets us free
from the ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law, inclines us to act
spontaneously by the prompting of charity and, finally, lets us pass from the
condition of a servant who "does not know what his master is doing"
to that of a friend of Christ - "For all that I have heard from my Father
I have made known to you" - or even to the status of son and heir (Jn
15:15; cf. Jas 1:25; 2:12; Gal 4:1-7. 21-31; Rom 8:15). [END]
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